Knowles v. The University Of Findlay
- Valerie Caproni
- 1:23-cv-09005
- U.S. District Court · Southern District of New York
- 2
In Knowles v. The University of Findlay, Judge Caproni dismissed the settled case with prejudice, without costs, limiting the settlement to the named parties.
The order directly affects Carlton Knowles and The University of Findlay. It does not bind absent putative class members because the parties did not invoke the required class-settlement procedure.
What happened
In Knowles v. The University of Findlay, the parties told the court they had reached an agreement in principle resolving all issues. The court canceled the scheduled conferences and other deadlines.
The court dismissed the case with prejudice and without costs, including attorneys’ fees, and directed the clerk to close the case and terminate all open motions. The parties could ask to reopen the case within 30 days by showing good cause.
Judge Valerie Caproni also directed that the class-action language be removed from Carlton Knowles’s name. Because the parties did not say they would follow the required class-settlement procedure, the dismissal and settlement apply only between Carlton Knowles and the University of Findlay and do not bind absent putative class members.
The detailed version
- Knowles v. The University Of Findlay · No. 1:23-cv-09005
- Valerie Caproni
- Feb. 6, 2024
Background
Carlton Knowles brought this case on behalf of himself and other similarly situated people against The University of Findlay. The parties notified the court on February 5, 2024, that they had reached an agreement in principle resolving all issues.
Court’s Orders
The court canceled all previously scheduled conferences and other deadlines. It dismissed the case with prejudice and without costs, including attorneys’ fees, to either party. The clerk was directed to terminate all open motions and close the case.
The parties could apply to reopen the case within 30 days. Any such application had to show good cause for keeping the case open in light of the settlement and had to be filed within that 30-day period. The court also stated that, if the parties wanted the court to retain jurisdiction—the authority to enforce the settlement—they had to submit the settlement agreement and request an order expressly retaining that authority within the same 30-day period.
Class-Action Effect
The court directed the clerk to remove the language stating that Carlton Knowles sued individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated. The parties had not notified the court that they intended to comply with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23(e), which governs certain class-action settlements and dismissals. As a result, the dismissal and any settlement operate only between Carlton Knowles and The University of Findlay; they do not bind absent putative class members.
Ruling
Judge Valerie Caproni dismissed the case with prejudice and without costs, closed the case, and limited the operative effect of the dismissal and settlement to the individual plaintiff and defendant.
Read the full 2-page opinion on CourtListener, the free public archive maintained by the Free Law Project.